Apparatus for preparation of a sheet-shaped photoconductor

Abstract

A sheet-shaped photoconductor composed of a plurality of optical fibers is prepared by melt-spinning a spinning dope into optical fibers and, before the as-spun fibers are completely solidified, bonding the fibers to one another along the entire length thereof. The melt-spinning is carried out using a nozzle having a plurality of annularly arranged orifices. The as-spun fibers are arranged linearly in parallel to but not in contact with one another by using a grooved guide, and then the optical fibers are brought into contact with and fusion-bonded to one another by using a fusion bonding guide having a concave curved face in the central portion thereof, and the thus-formed sheet-shaped photoconductor is taken up.

We claim: 
     
       1. An apparatus for the preparation of a sheet-shaped photoconductor, which comprises a nozzle having a plurality of annularly arranged orifices for melt-extruding a spinning dope for optical fibers; a grooved guide arranged so that the axis thereby extends in the perpendicular direction to the spinning axis of the melt-spinning nozzle, and having a plurality of grooves extending in the peripheral direction of the grooved guide; a fusion-bonding guide having a concave curved face in the central portion, which is arranged so that the axis thereof is substantially in parallel to the axis of the grooved guide; and a take-up roller for taking up a formed sheet-shaped photoconductor. 
     
     
       2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the number of the grooves formed in the grooved guide is equal to or larger than the number of the orifices of the nozzle, and the sum of the widths of the grooves is approximately equal to the diameter of the circle along the circumference of which the orifices are arranged. 
     
     
       3. An apparatus according to claim 1, which further comprises an auxiliary guide arranged between the grooved guide and the fusion-bonding guide so that the axis of the auxiliary guide is in parallel to the axes of the grooved guide and the fusion bonding guide. 
     
     
       4. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the auxiliary guide is located in a position such that the optical fibers traveling from the grooved guide is slightly deviated whereby a tension is imposed on the optical fibers. 
     
     
       5. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the fusion-bonding guide has a plurality of concave curved faces whereby the optical fibers are divided into a plurality of groups and each group is formed into a sheet-shaped photoconductor. 
     
     
       6. An apparatus according to claim 1, which further comprises a second take-up roller arranged downstream of the take-up roller, and a heating device arranged between the two take-up rollers.